About the reserve

Wetland plants

The marshy fen, extensive reedbeds and small woodland surrounding Weston Turville Reservoir create a winter wildfowl wonderland with teal, shoveler and tufted duck and even the occasional bittern. As well as the reeds, plants include hundreds of spring-flowering early marsh-orchids, followed in summer by lesser reedmace, purple-loosestrife, gipsywort, water mint and yellow iris.

Seasonal visitors

There are good breeding colonies of reed warblers, which sling their mug-shaped nests around the reed stems. The reserve is also a regular breeding site of the water rail, whose distinctive 'piglet squealing' can be heard regularly all the year round. Starlings and swallows roost here in some numbers in autumn. Bittern are seen here occasionally.

Historic water supply

Weston Turville Reservoir was constructed in 1797 to supply water to an arm of the Grand Union Canal - and over the years a good many wetland plants have grown up around the edges. The open water is leased to local sailing and angling clubs. BBOWT manages the surrounding land, a marshy fen, extensive reedbeds, areas of scrub and woodland.

For information - the bird hide at the Reservoir has had to be dismantled and removed as the structure had become unsafe. We are currently looking at options for how to replace it.